Monday, May 31, 2010

The Good: Peter Bourjos (.268) had a hit in each game over the Memorial Day weekend (eight overall), going 3-4 on Sunday while stealing his 7th base and hitting his 2nd home run of the season on Monday. Terry Evans (.264) went 2-4 and stole his 10th base. Mark Trumbo (.277) who sports a seven-game hitting streak, clubbed his 12th home run of the season on Monday. Hank Conger went 2-4 with an RBI and walk on Saturday, a day after walking twice on Friday. Paul McAnulty (.444) went 1-4 with a walk and two runs scored in his first game with the Bees, then smacked a three more hits on Monday. Michael Kohn picked up the win on Saturday after another scoreless frame on Friday. Kohn gave up his first run of the season with a home run to C Steve Holm in Saturday's contest.

The Bad: Will Smith was lit up on Friday in a matchup against Giants' prospect Madison Bumgarner. Smith gave up seven runs on 13 hits in just 4.1 innings of work. Hank Conger gave up nine stolen bases out of 11 attempts over the weekend. He did pick off one and had another one dropped by 1B Mark Trumbo for an error. Trevor Reckling had another poor start on Monday, with six free passes and and five hits which resulted in giving up four runs in 4 1/3 innings of work.

Noteworthy: Hainley Statia was placed on the DL and will be out 4-6 weeks. The Bees received Paul McAnulty from the Travelers on Saturday after Robb Quinlan was promoted to the big league club. Brandon Wood went 1-5 with a strikeout in his first start of the season with the Bees.

The Good: Roberto Lopez was promoted to the Arkansas Travelers over the weekend and went 1-2 with a home run and walk as the DH in his Double-A debut on Sunday, before going 0-4 with an RBI on Monday. Lopez leads the organization with 44 RBI's. Jeremy Thorne went seven innings, giving up just one run on five hits on Sunday. Robert Fish notched his second hold while with the Travelers with 2/3 innings of work on Sunday, before Jordan Walden came in to shut the door against Corpus Christi with a scoreless 1.1 innings, striking out two and earning his fourth save of the season.

The Bad: Since Ryan Brasier's no hitter on April 29th the righthander has given up 27 earned runs in his last five starts, resulting in a 6.94 ERA overall.

Noteworthy: Eddie Bane had the following to say about Jordan Walden in our chat last week. "Jordan's ERA is higher than I would like it, but when you come out of the pen one bad outing kills your ERA. Jordan is doing fine and will be a heck of a pitcher in the big leagues. It is funny to listen to the daily minor league reports and hear Bobby Mags at 2A describe Walden, "Jordan Walden, fastball 95-100 with solid life." That is cool. You don't get to hear 100mph very often."

The Good: Tyler Chatwood didn't have command of his pitches on Monday, giving up seven walks, but he allowed just one run on two hits. Chatwood's ERA sits at 1.94 on the season. Check the noteworthy section for more on Chatwood from Eddie Bane. Pat Corbin made his first start since his promotion from Cedar Rapids and didn't factor in on the decision, keeping in tact his 8-0 record. Corbin went 5 2/3 innings, giving up two earned runs on six hits, while striking out four. Matt Shoemaker (4.26) went the distance, giving up just one run on four hits, while striking out 12 over nine solid innings of work. Darwin Perez went 4-4 on Friday night. Alexi Amarista has posted five straight multi-hit contests, including seven hits over the holiday weekend which raised his average up to .358 on the season. Amarista also stole three bases over the weekend, giving him 13 so far out of 21 attempts. Luis Jimenez who was promoted from Cedar Rapids went 3-8 over the weekend, including hitting his third home run of the season. Tyson Auer (.298)went 5-15 over the weekend with two more stolen bases, giving him 28 on the season.

The Bad: Orangel Arenas High-A ball debut wasn't what he's used to seeing while with the Cedar Rapids Kernels after posting a 2.01 ERA through nine starts. Arenas gave up five runs on five hits, while issuing five walks in just four innings of work on Sunday.

Noteworthy: Eddie Bane had the following to say about Tyler Chatwood in yesterday's live chat. "Chat has had several games where his fastball ranged from 90-97 mph. He rides the fastball really well and creates angle even for a guy that is 5'11. His curve is at least a 70 on our grading scale where the top grade is 80. He has shown even better command this year than last in CR. Remember a lot of the Cy Young winners were not 6'5" guys. Look at Pedro, Cone, Maddux and others. As long as you can create an angle to the plate it does not matter. Plus Chat is an incredible young man."

The Good: Mike Trout (.362) was scorching hot over the weekend with going 8-17, posting at least two hits in each of his last four games (Fri-Mon). Trout also had two doubles, two RBI's and three stolen bases over the weekend. Casey Haerther (.294) went 3-3 with two doubles and two RBI's on Monday. Garrett Richards (2.91) hurled six stellar innings, giving up just four hits and no runs, while striking out 11. on Ariel Pena pitched a lot better after he was sent down a level to Cedar Rapids, going six innings, while giving up just one run on two hits, while fanning five. Tyler Skaggs (2.51) went five innings, giving up just two runs, while striking out five on Saturday. Tyler Kehrer (5.70) followed him up with four strong innings, giving up just one run while earning the save. The 6'9 hard-throwing Jon Hellweg earned his 5th save over the weekend. Hellweg has struck out 20 batters in 13 innings thus far this season.

The Bad: After being named #1 on our AngelsWin.com prospect hotlist on Friday, Segura went 1-11 over the Memorial Day weekend. He did steal three bases however.

Noteworthy: Lots of new faces on the Cedar Rapids club with a few more most likely to join the club soon with short-season A ball starting later on this month. LHP Stephen Locke, OF Jeremy Cruz and 3B Michael Wing joined the Kernels from the Arizona Instructional League and Ariel Pena and Manaurys Correa were demoted from High-A to Low-A ball, joining the Kernels over the weekend. When asked about Mike Trout possibly moving up a level, Eddie Bane had this to day. "Mike has plenty to do in CR and anyhow that is up to my esteemed colleague, Abe Flores. But, it is fun to see the pundits that questioned his selection at 25 and now they rank him at 10 in all of baseball."

May 31, 1977 at Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland, the California Angels would beat the Cleveland Indians 7-6 in 10 innings. Dave LaRoche picked up the victory in relief and Dick Drago would pitch the last inning for the save. In the game Jerry Remy would go 5-6, with 1 run scored and 2 RBI's, including the game-winning RBI in the top of the 10th inning. Remy was selected by the Angels in the 8th round of the 1971 draft and in 1973, while playing for the Angels' Single-A affiliate in Quad Cities, Remy would hit .335 with 160 hits and steal 20 bases for the season. Remy would make his major league debut in 1975 as the Angels starting second baseman that year and play for three seasons, where he would bat .258 and average 37 steals per year. In 1977, Remy would set a career high with 41 steals and he would have 19 sacrifice hits which tie him for 3rd in a single season for the Angels. The Angels would trade Remy to the Boston Red Sox for Don Aase at the end of the 1977 season.

Once again the Angels find themselves looking at a bad poker hand and are wondering how to play it. Clearly, today’s problem is not even close to last year’s tragic loss of Nick Adenhart, but the loss of the Angels’ best hitter this past weekend hurts and it hurts bad.

The team is built around pitching, defense and hitting (in that order) and so far we haven’t seen much of either. There have been moments to remind us that this is the highly successful Angels organization that has won the AL West in each of the last three years, but those moments have been few and far between.

Is it time to pick up the ball and go home? Hardly. We all remember the lousy start to the 2002 season and look how that turned out. We all remember last year with most of the starting rotation out until June. We all remember the tragedies that have beset this team over the years and the one constant has been resiliency. Personally, I have never seen a team more resilient than the Angels.

So once again the organization will be put to the test. The front office needs to decide if the answers lie within or outside of the Angels current personnel. Mike Scioscia and his coaches have to decide who best can get it done and move the pieces around to make a better fit.

But more importantly, it is time for the players themselves to step up and take over. Kazmir and Pineiro must provide more consistency. The bullpen, thought to be the strongest this team has ever seen must begin to deliver. The team defense has been sloppy with misplays in the corner outfield positions. The catchers must improve on their throws. The offense has too be on the other end of spectrum from where they are now. Instead of being near the bottom of offensive categories, they need to rise toward the top. It was only last August when the team had nine .300 hitters in the same lineup.

The question is: Can they do it? The answer is yes. The Angels can and will win the AL West. Yesterday’s come from behind win can provide the fuel. Prior to this weekend, the Angels had not once won a game when trailing in the 7th inning. That statistic has been changed with two come from behind thrilling victories on Saturday and Sunday.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

It’s Sunday morning, the field is quiet. Angels catcher Mike Napoli is taking grounders at first base, practicing ranging to his right and under-handing the ball to what would be the pitcher. He doesn’t miss any and actually looks pretty good moving to his right. Brandon Wood offers some words of encouragement and after 10 minutes or so the two walk off together while Alfredo Griffin collects the remaining baseballs.

Knowing Angels manager Mike Scioscia, he was likely on the phone to Salt Lake even before the cart arrived to ferry Kendry Morales off to the hospital and onto the disabled list. He probably had Napoli taking grounders in the locker room before he let him shower. Angels fans can take solace in the fact that the team is still in the extraordinarily capable hands of 2009’s American League manager of the year.

(Anaheim, CA) Reporting from Angel Stadium - Earlier the Los Angeles Angels GM Tony Reagins' met with the media to discuss the Kendry Morales injury and the options they're going to look at. Here's what Reagins' had to say to the questions he was asked while I was in attendance.

Tony, from your standpoint, obviously you gotta make some moves, Mike Napoli is at 1st base. But what’s the long-term goal at first base right now?

“Right now we have some internal options that we’re going to seek out and evaluate over the next few days, and then take the course of action from that point. There are options out there, both internally and externally, and we’ll take a look at each one of them.”

“It will. Like I said, we have some players that are capable of playing first base for us. But we’ll take that day by day and as things become more available to us, we’ll explore them.”

How difficult is it to make a trade now that teams KNOW you’re looking? Does it become that much more difficult?

“In any trade you want to get value for value. Obviously in this situation things can be a challenge, but not as much of a challenge that we can’t overcome it.”

Are you currently exploring any potential Free Agents that might be out there?

“Like I said before, we are going to explore what we have internally at this point. Obviously, there are players out there who are free agents and players on other clubs that could potentially help us, but at this point we are going to explore internally.”

Does it hurt that we’re still 2 months from the trading deadline and the market hasn’t really developed yet?

“I don’t know if it hurts us because there are players that are potentially available, whether it be a current player, or players that are on the free agent market, so, again I think it’s my job to pursue every opportunity that’s out there that can potentially help us.”

Lance Berkman is available, could he be someone you’re looking at?

“In this environment I’m not going to get into players who are on current clubs. I will get into some trouble with the commissioner’s office if I start speaking about players that are under contract for other teams. But there are players out there that could potentially help us.”

Have you guys talked internally about a player like Jermaine Dye or Carlos Delgado?

“I think I’ve spoken to it before. There are players out there on the free agent market that are available. There are players under contract with other clubs that potentially could be available. But that’s something we are going to explore each day. First of all we are going to let our players who we have in-house go out and play and see where that takes us and then make adjustments from there.”

Do you think Napoli is a potential long-term solution given his lack of experience?

“He’s played there in the past and we know he’s capable of playing there. Obviously he hasn’t played there everyday, so, that’s a challenge. But as he gets out there and gets more comfortable he’ll get a chance to play out there. He’s one of our internal options and we’re going to pursue it.”

In terms of Mark Trumbo, how close is he to being able to contribute and is he someone who could be up at the club at some point in time?

“He’s an option. He’s a quality player and he’s having a good year there at Salt Lake. Again, that’s one of the options we have available to us.”

Does it make sense to rush a player like that into this situation?

“Well you want to make sure a player is ready. And with Mark, he does need some more seasoning at Triple A, so that’s not our first option. But it is an option for us.”

What’s your view on what’s an appropriate way to celebrate a game winning homerun?

“ Obviously yesterday’s situation wasn’t, the outcome wasn’t what we wanted. The injury being what it is, we definitely have to take a look at how we celebrate, and how players in general celebrate. I think this is an eye opener too, not only for baseball, but for all of sports as to how you celebrate after that type of a win. And we’ve addressed the club with respect to how we’re going to celebrate going forward. This is a tough lesson to learn.”

(Anaheim, CA) Reporting from Angel Stadium - Victor Varadi from AngelsWin.com joined the members of the media who met with Kendry Morales' doctor to discuss the current prognosis of the injury. Here's the questions which were asked and the answers.

What’s the latest On Kendry Morales?

“ Well, we saw Kendry this morning. The injury yesterday was a fracture of the ankle, he broke the fibula as a result of hitting the base and sliding and twisting the ankle. As a result of that, we tentatively had surgery scheduled for this morning. But when we saw him at the hospital it became apparent that it was premature to consider surgery. He had an awful lot of swelling. We thought it was the best decision to wait to have surgery until it was appropriate.”

Is there a timetable? What does it take normally for the swelling to go down? A few days? A week?

“We’re hopeful that within the next week it will be able to be approached surgically.”

And once the surgery is successful and he gets back on the road, can you give us an idea of what type of rehab he’s looking at? How long before he’s able to run, things of that nature?

“it’s contingent on what’s found at the time of the surgery. But, in general, it will be non-weight bearing, won’t be able to put any weight on the leg for 4-6 weeks. Then after that it will be a matter of getting his motion back, getting some strength in the leg and seeing how we go.”

You’ve seen a lot of fractures in your career, how good/bad do you rate this one?

“There’s never a ‘good’ fracture for a professional athlete, but this is probably one of the better ones to have if you had to have one. We’re optimistic, we’re hopeful he can get back this season.”

Do you know what type of surgery Morales will have to go under, or do you have to wait and see until you get in there to determine what exactly needs to be done?

“no, it’s going be an open reduction, internal fixation; in other words, we’re going to have to open up the fractured part of his leg and take a look at it, probably put a metal plate and some screws in there to hold it together."

How long will the screws stay in there?

“Some people leave it in forever, some people take it out if it becomes symptomatic. [Juan] Rivera’s had his rod in there since his fracture and he’s had no problems with it; each player’s a little different.
What’s the best case scenario for a return? September?

“I think the best case situation is to get the fracture to heal as soon as possible. I don’t think September is out of the question, but there’s always the situation of getting the fracture to heal as well as getting him baseball ready.”

(Angel Stadium - Anaheim, CA) Victor Varadi who's reporting live from Angel Stadium for AngelsWin.com, noted that before today's game Mike Napoli will be recognized as the May player of the Month. His seven homers in May were the most by an Angels catcher in a single month since Lance Parrish hit seven in June of 1990.

Napoli's hot month at the plate combined with the unfortunate injury to Kendry Morales on Saturday, had Scioscia penciling in Napoli in at first base on the lineup card on Sunday.

Napoli played 68 games at first base in the minors posting a .984 field percentage.

The real question is, can Napoli field the position well enough to stay there until Kendry Morales returns and will 2010 underachievers Juan Rivera, Erick Aybar, Hideki Matsui and Howie Kendrick heat up at the plate along side Napoli while their slugger is out?

Or will the Angels need to go after a Paul Konerko or Lance Berkman before the club goes into an offensive tailspin and fall further behind in the standings?

Whatever be the case, seeing Mike Napoli's name written on the lineup card and at first base today over Robb Quinlan who was called up after last night's game, was a breath of fresh air. The mighty Q posted .322 slugging percentage for the Bees in the Pacific Coast League through 23 games.

By now you know the story. After circling the bases for a walk-off grand slam, Kendry Morales, the best and most productive hitter on the Angels team this year, landed wrong on home plate breaking his ankle. In all likelihood, Kendry has been lost for the season (though they're saying 10-12 weeks). This is an epic moment in failure for the Angels.

For those who think that this was an isolated moment in a difficult season, they are wrong. This moment was a long-time in coming. This moment was the result of numerous underachieving members of the team and poor execution on the field.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

May 29, 1979 the California Angels beat the Seattle Mariners 6-4 at the Kingdome. Jim Barr would pitch 7 innings, giving up 4 runs for the win and Dave LaRoche went 2 innings for his 5th save. Bobby Grich was 3-4 in the game, scoring once and driving in 3 while Carney Lansford had 3 hits in 5 at-bats with a homer. Lansford was a 3rd round selection in the 1975 draft by the Angels and would make his debut with the team in 1978, where he would hit .294 on the season and finish 3rd in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. In 1979, Lansford had his best year with the Angels when he hit .287 with 19 home runs, 79 RBI's and scored 114 runs (tied for 9th with Chone Figgins all-time in a single season for the Angels). The Angels would trade Lansford, with Mark Clear and Rick Miller to the Red Sox for Rick Burleson and Butch Hobson after the end of the 1980 season.

Friday, May 28, 2010

May 28, 2000 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City the Anaheim Angels beat the Kansas City Royals 8-4. Brian Cooper pitched 8 innings, giving up 3 runs (1 earned) while striking out 4 to earn the win. The Angels would score 6 runs in the top of the 5th inning when Darin Erstad would hit a 3 run home run, and after an Adam Kennedy out, Mo Vaughn, Tim Salmon and Garret Anderson would all hit consecutive home runs. The 4 home runs in an inning are an Angel game record. In 2000, Erstad would have career highs in hits (240), Angel season season record; batting average (.355), Angel single season record; runs (121), second all-time for an Angel; home runs (25); RBI's (100) and would set an Angels single season record with 366 total bases. Darin would be the first player in major league history to have 100 RBI's from the lead-off spot that year. The Angels as a team in 2000 would set single season records in home runs (236); RBI's (837); total bases (2659) and extra base hits (579). 2000 was also the year Troy Glaus would set the single season marks for an Angel in home runs (47) and slugging percent (.604)..

This is the second Seattle edition of Foe Fodder this season. In our first edition we discussed Milton Bradley’s lack of sanity and Chone Figgins’ putrid beginning to his Mariner’s career.

A few weeks later and not much has changed. Figgins is still hitting under the Mendoza line and Milton Bradley is still crazier than a chain smoking toddler.

How about that, by the way? I’ve read and heard a lot of things from a lot of people disparaging the boy’s parents for facilitating and initiating such an awful and deadly habit in a two year old baby. But, I think we’re too quick to judge. The kid only smokes when he drinks.

At 18-28 and 9.5 games back in the American League West, the M’s season is officially over. The fifteen or so teams with a legit shot at the 2010 post-season are already sizing up the Seattle roster and conceiving of potential packages, which might acquire a Cliff Lee or Mike Sweeney. The latter seems to have resurrected his career with a hot start to the 2010 season. Sweeney is the epitome of one of the dumbest descriptions of a player in all of sport – a “professional hitter.” Good for him. Hopefully for Sweeney he’ll get to leave flannel country for a contending team and get a shot at post-season baseball.

Aside from Lee, perhaps Seattle’s best available piece is closer David Aardsma, who after four awful years, had a big one for the M’s last year and is duplicating that success in 2010.

Back to the suck. The Seattle infield (when they all start) of Chone Figgins, Casey Kotchman, Jack Wilson and Jose Lopez is one of the worst we’ve ever seen. Combined, they’re hitting about .220 with four home runs.

There has been some controversy around one of the all-time greats this season. Did Ken Griffey Jr. really fall asleep in the clubhouse in the middle innings of a game? I don’t know. If someone could tell me whether or not, prior to the incident, Junior had a conversation with Casey Kotchman, I’d know which way I’d lean.

It is with great pleasure that AngelsWin.com presents another Hot Prospect List for the Angels. In our weekly column, we take a look at who has been hot down on the farm. Unlike our annual Top-50 Prospects, our Hot Prospects List is not ranked based on the ceiling of the prospect or the likelihood of him achieving that ceiling. Instead, it is weekly snapshot that reflects the players’ accomplishments based on their performances against their competition. This year, AngelsWin.com will be presenting the Hot Prospect List every Friday throughout the Minor League season.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

May 27, 1987 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore the California Angels lost to the Baltimore Orioles 8-6. Mike Witt gave up 5 runs and walked 6 in 4 2/3 innings and Gary Lucas would take the loss in relief. Brian Downing hit a home run in the game and Jack Howell would add two home runs, giving him 10 on the season. Howell would sign with the Angels as an amateur free agent in 1983 and make his debut with the club in 1985, appearing in 43 games. His best year would be in 1987, when he hit 23 home runs in 138 games. Howell added 16 home runs in 1988 and 20 in 1989. Howell would be traded to the San Diego Padres in July of 1991 for Shawn Abner and later sign back on with the Angels in 1996 and again in 1997, where he hit 14 home runs in 77 games that year. Howell was primarily a third baseman for the Angels but would fill in in the outfield, first base, second base and even one game at shortstop during his career with the Angels.

The Good: Hank Conger (.282) went 3-4 with 3 RBI's last night, his third three-hit game out of his last four. Conger is hitting .361 over his last ten games, with seven RBI's. Peter Bourjos (.243) went 0-4 with a walk and run scored, but he stole two bases. Mark Trumbo went 2-5 and hit his 11th home run of the season, his fourth home run out of his last seven games. Hainley Statia went 2-4 with two RBI's, while adding a stolen base. Trevor Reckling (6.11) was better, going five innings and giving up just two runs, while striking out five. Reckling walked just two and gave up six hits to win his fourth game of the season.

The Bad: Nick Gorneault is hitting just .118 on the after an 0-4 last night. He did score a run and walked.

Noteworthy: Sean O'Sullivan (4-4, 5.37) goes against what was supposed to be Andrew Cashner, but has now been changed to Iowa Cubs prospect pitcher Jay Jackson who is also sporting a solid ERA at 1.99 this season. The game starts at at 12:05 CT. Arkansas TravelersBox Score

The Good: Ryan Mount (.282) continued his hot hitting against San Antonio on Wednesday, going 2-4. Mount has four multi-hit games out of his last six and is riding a six game hitting streak since his return off the DL. Jeremy Moore, Carlos Colemnares and Alberto Rosario each had two hits on the night. Jordan Walden pitched two scoreless innings of relief, striking out three. See the noteworthy on Walden.

The Bad: Clay Fuller went 0-4 on the night and is hitting .183 on the season.

Noteworthy: Eddie Bane had the following to say about Jordan Walden in yesterday's chat. "Jordan's ERA is higher than I would like it, but when you come out of the pen one bad outing kills your ERA. Jordan is doing fine and will be a heck of a pitcher in the big leagues. It is funny to listen to the daily minor league reports and hear Bobby Mags at 2A describe Walden, "Jordan Walden, fastball 95-100 with solid life." That is cool. You don't get to hear 100mph very often."Rancho Cucamonga QuakesBox Score

The Good: Tyler Chatwood wasn't his best on Wednesday, but he still managed to give up just two runs on seven hits in five innings of work, striking out four vs. three walks. Chatwood's ERA bumped up a bit, but is still sitting under 2 runs a game at 1.95 on the season. See the noteworthy section for more on Chatwood from Eddie Bane.

The Bad: Angel Castillo went 0-3 with two strikeouts on the night, his third straight game with two strikeouts. Castillo has played in 41 games this season and has struck out 49 times. The toolsy outfielder is hitting .205 on the season.

Noteworthy: Eddie Bane had the following to say about Tyler Chatwood in yesterday's live chat. "Chat has had several games where his fastball ranged from 90-97 mph. He rides the fastball really well and creates angle even for a guy that is 5'11. His curve is at least a 70 on our grading scale where the top grade is 80. He has shown even better command this year than last in CR. Remember a lot of the Cy Young winners were not 6'5" guys. Look at Pedro, Cone, Maddux and others. As long as you can create an angle to the plate it does not matter. Plus Chat is an incredible young man."

The Good: Garrett Richards pitched six solid innings, giving up no runs, striking out three. Richards lowered his ERA to 3.19. Mike Trout (.352) went just 1-4 with a walk on the night, but he drove in two runs (24). OF Justin Bass went 3-4 with two RBI's, raising his batting average to .254 on the season.

The Bad: Jean Segura who had been destroying the ball of late (.359 in his last ten games), went 0-5 hitting out of the third spot in the lineup. He did have an RBI on the night.

Noteworthy: When asked about Mike Trout possibly moving up a level, Eddie Bane had this to day. "Mike has plenty to do in CR and anyhow that is up to my esteemed colleague, Abe Flores. But, it is fun to see the pundits that questioned his selection at 25 and now they rank him at 10 in all of baseball."

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Today we chatted live with the Angels director of scouting Eddie Bane which went a solid hour and twenty minutes of talk about the upcoming draft and the current crop of prospects that Eddie Bane has drafted over the years.

Enjoy the chat transcript below and if you have a question about the draft or the Angels down on the farm, ask Chuck Richter at AngelsWin.com by sending mail here.

Chat live with Angels' Director of Scouting Eddie Bane today from 4:00-5:00 PM PST. With the draft approaching and with two solid months of minor league results in from the last time we chatted with Eddie, present your questions live in the chat to the man on the inside.

May 26, 1962 at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City the Los Angeles Angels lost to the Kansas City Athletics 8-7. Dean Chance would last only 2 1/3 innings, giving up 5 runs, and after the Angels would rally to tie the game in the ninth, Art Fowler would lose in the bottom of the inning. The Angels offense would be led by a home run from Leon Wagner (2-4, 2 runs scored, 2 RBI) and Lee Thomas, who would hit 2 home runs, score twice and drive in 4. Lee Thomas would be traded to the Angels in their first season from the New York Yankees and become a starter for them that year, playing both first base and in the outfield. In his first full season with the Angels, Thomas would hit 24 home runs and drive in 70 while batting .284. His best year would come in 1962 when he hit 26 home runs with 104 RBI's, batting .290, and making the American League All-Star team. Thomas would be traded around mid-season to the Boston Red Sox in 1964.

The Good: Mark Trumbo (.271) is now in double digits in home runs after clubbing his 10th homer of the season in a 1-4 effort on Tuesday night. Corey Aldridge (.311) also went deep, hitting his 8th, going 2-4 as the DH. Hainley Statia and Gary Patchett each had two hits in a losing cause as the Bees lost to Iowa 8-2. Fernando Rodriguez (7.71) pitched two scoreless innings out of relief, striking out four.

The Bad: Terry Evans went 0-4 and is now 0 for his last 11 and hitting .209 over his last ten games. After notching back to back quality starts, Marco Albano was rocked on Tuesday, giving up seven runs on four hits, while walking four in just 2 2/3 innings.

Noteworthy: Trevor Reckling (3-3, 6.38) takes to the hill tonight against the Iowa Cubs and looks to get back on track after giving up 17 runs in his last three starts. Arkansas Travelers No Game on Tuesday

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
No Game on Tuesday, however Patrick Corbin and Orangel Arenas have been promoted to Rancho Cucamonga.

The Good: Orangel Arenas (2.01) last start with the Cedar Rapids Kernels was solid. Arenas kept his ERA hovering just a tick above two runs a game, with a five inning, one run allowed effort on Tuesday. Arenas struck out four batters and walked just one. Stephen Locke pitched three innings of relief, giving up one run on two hits, striking out two.

The Bad: The Kernels offense had just three hits on the night (M. Long, J. Segura and Jo. Jimenez) as the Kernels were shutout 2-0.

Noteworthy: Mike Trout and two former Kernels, Robert Fish and Alexi Amarista, were selected as the LA Angels named their Organizational Players of the Month for April. Abe Flores, the Angels Director of Player Development, announced the awards.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Let’s face it; the Angels are not playing the way they are supposed to. The team is struggling and has lots of problems. The front office knows this, and needs to find a solution fast. Rather than sitting around complaining about the poor play, its time to don the GM hat and come up with a workable solution for the Angels.

First, some ground rules. I don’t believe in scapegoating, so, I’m not going to advocate firing the coaches for the poor performance of the players. As popular as the sentiment is, it’s a total knee-jerk reaction that will have no bearing on the field. If there are reasons to fire a coach or manager, then fire the person(s) for those reasons, but don’t fire them because the players aren’t performing to their ability.

Second, any decision made has to make sense not only for this year, but, for years beyond now. We don’t have the luxury to buy our way into the post-season every year, so, we can’t make moves that will hamper the team for years just to try and win it all now.

Finally, there are some limitations on the budget. So, we can’t take on unlimited contracts. Although I will argue for expanding the payroll some this year, I don’t believe that the Reagins ability to write checks is unlimited.

May 25, 1982 the California Angels beat the Boston Red Sox 10-2 at Fenway Park. The Angels would get home runs from Brian Downing (2-4, 3 RBI), Bobby Grich (1 run, 1 RBI) and Tim Foli (2-2, 2 runs, 4 RBI). Bruce Kison would pitch a complete game, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits and striking out 4, moving to 4-0 on the season and putting the Angels at 29-15 on their way to the AL West title that year. The Angels would sign Kison at the end of 1979, a free agent out of Pittsburgh that year, after the departure of Nolan Ryan. During 1980 and 1981, Kison would only appear in 24 games with the Angels. In 1982, Kison would have his best year with the Angels, going 10-5 with a 3.17 ERA. After Tommy John pitched a complete game victory in the 1982 ALCS against the Milwaukee Brewers, Kison would follow in game 2 with a complete game victory of his own, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits as the Angels took a 2-0 series lead. After the Brewers evened the series at 2-2, Kison would start the deciding game 5 and pitch 5 innings, giving up 1 earned run on 3 hits before Luis Sanchez would lose the game in relief as the Angels lost 4-3 and were eliminated from the ALCS. Kison finished the ALCS with a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings pitched. Kison would later be granted free agency after the 1984 season.

The Good: Hank Conger clubbed two doubles, three hits total in four at bats against the Rangers ex top prospect and former first round pick, Thomas Diamond (2.01 ERA in nine starts), now in the Cubs organization. Corey Aldridge went 2-3 with a home run (7) and a walk. Daniel Davidson moved to 5-1 with six shutout innings. Davidson fanned six and lowered his ERA to 5.20. Michael Kohn pitched a scoreless ninth to earn the save, his first as a member of the Bees.

The Bad: The Bees moved Peter Bourjos back into the leadoff spot and he rewarded the team with an 0-4 on the night with two strikeouts. Bourjos now has 28 strikeouts to just five walks (.291 OBP). That will not get it done out of the leadoff spot. (See Erick Aybar in Anaheim for more)

Noteworthy: Are you stoked about Stokes? Well he threw two scoreless innings, giving up two hits, two walks, while fanning two in his first rehab appearance in the minors. The matchup to follow this week is Sean O'Sullivan vs. the Cubs top prospect pitcher Andrew Cashner in the series finale on Thursday vs. the Iowa Cubs. Arkansas TravelersBox Score

The Good: There's no real 'Good' performance to point out for the Travelers on Monday on either offense or the pitching side, but Alberto Rosario threw out two runners trying to steal, while Manuel Flores picked off a runner as well. Flores (5.40) did notch a quality start, giving up five runs, though just three earned in 6.1 innings of work. Jeremy Moore (.215) hit his first triple of the season.

The Bad: Ryan Mount (.274) who has been surging of late with 10 hits in his last 21 at bats, went 1-4 on Monday, but fanned three times.

Noteworthy: The Travs have Tuesday off before beginning a six-game home stand lasting from Wednesday, May 26 through Monday, May 31. They will begin a series on Wednesday against the San Antonio Missions.

The Good: Roberto Lopez (.349) after playing three different positions (C, 1B, RF) over the weekend was the DH on Monday and like a good DH (unlike Hideki Matsui), he did something with the bat. Roberto Lopez went 2-3 on the night with an RBI double, which was four straight games in which he's had at least two hits. Maybe it's time for a promotion to Arkansas to help the struggling Travelers offense and challenge Lopez a bit? Jon Townsend and Rian Kiniry both had two hits a piece and Tyson Auer stole his 22nd base of the season. Kevin Nabors (0.00) and Kyle Hurst (0.00) both shut down the Inland Empire team in relief.

The Bad: Prospects Gabe Jacobo and Alexi Amarista went a combined 0-8 on the night. M. Correa continues to get hit hard and give up runs in the California League. Correa (6.98) went six innings, giving up four runs on seven hits.

Noteworthy: After a day off on Tuesday, the Quakes will send Tyler Chatwood (5-2, 1.79 ERA) to the mound against Visalia's Wade Miley on Wednesday night, in the four-game series-opener in Visalia.

The Good: Mike Trout (.360) went 2-4, clubbing his 7th double. Jean Segura went 2-4 with 3 RBI's and stole his 14th base. Luis Jimenez went 2-5, with a home run (2) and 4 RBI's. Jimenez who is tied for the lead in doubles with (15) now leads all Midwest League players with 37 RBI's, one more than Dodgers prospect Jerry Sands who has 15 home runs to lead the MWL. Tyler Skaggs (2.37) continued his greatness on Monday with five strong innings, giving up just one run, while striking out six.

The Bad: The Kernels had eight runs on 12 hits on Monday, but catcher Carlos Ramirez didn't join in on the fun, as he went 0-4 with two strikeouts, lowering his BA to .181 on the season.

Noteworthy:Jean Segura has been named the MWL Player of the Week for the period May 17-23. The Midwest League and Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) announced the award on Monday morning. Segura batted .435 (10-23) with a double, triple, home run and 5 RBI. He had a .519 on-base percentage; .696 slugging percentage and 1.214 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage). He is the first Kernel to win a MWL weekly award since Jose Perez was named MWL Pitcher of the Week back on September 2, 2008.

Starting the 2010, AngelsWin.com ranked Tyler Skaggs as the Angels’ #17 overall prospect. That still placed him as the third best left-handed pitcher in the organization according to AngelsWin.com and the tenth best pitcher overall. Although he is a bit less known to some of the fans, Skaggs is a local player drafted out of Santa Monica High School who was thrilled to be drafted by his favorite team. The Angels drafted the tall and projectable left-hander as a supplemental pick in the first round of the 2009 draft (#40 overall). As another talented 18-year old, the Angels have been cautious with his development so far, limiting his innings pitched. Currently playing for the Cedar Rapids Kernels, Skaggs has been posting some very good numbers that would place him in the top 20 pitchers for the Midwest League in many categories.

May 24, 1993 the California Angels lost to the Seattle Mariners 4-3 in 14 innings at the Kingdome. Chad Curtis would go 3-5 in the game with a home run and Chuck Crim would take the loss in relief. In the game Luis Polonia would be caught stealing 3 times, which is an Angels single game record. Polonia, who came to the Angels in 1990 in a trade with the New York Yankees for Claudell Washington and Rich Monteleone, did go on to steal 55 bases in 1993, 4th all time in a single season for an Angel. In four years with the Angels, Polonia would steal 174 bases and bat .290, twice stealing more than 50 for the year. In 13 other pro seasons besides with the Angels he would only steal 147 bases for various teams. Polonia would also steal 4 bases in a game in 1992 while with the Angels which ties Chad Curtis and Devon White for single game highs. Polonia would become a free agent after the 1993 season.

The Good: Terry Evans (.286) clubbed two home runs on Saturday, his second and third on the season, while Nick Gorneault clubbed two of his own, going 3-5 with 5 RBI's. Mark Trumbo drove in four runs, going 3-5 with two doubles, a day after hitting his 9th home run of the season. Hank Conger also joined the hitting spree on Saturday with three hits of his own. The Bees scored 14 runs on Saturday, but just one a piece on Friday and Sunday, losing them both. On the pitching side, Sean O'Sullivan went seven innings, giving up three runs on Saturday and though Will Smith lost his second game for the Bees on Sunday, he limited the opposition to two runs over 6.1 innings, while striking out six. Michael Kohn made his Triple-A debut on Saturday with a scoreless frame. Angels fans are already clamoring for his major league debut to help a struggling bullpen.

The Bad: Trevor Reckling is really struggling of late. On Friday, Recks gave up five runs on nine hits in six innings of work. Reckling also walked five vs. four strikeouts. The Bees managed just two hits and one run on Sunday. Peter Bourjos continues to struggle at the bottom of the order, hitting just .257 now after going 0-6 over the weekend with two strikeouts and no walks. Bourjos in fact has just walked five times this season.

Noteworthy: Salt Lake is in first place by a .5 game over the Mariners Triple-A affiliate Tacoma Rainers. The Bees travel to Iowa on Monday to being a four-game series.

The Good: Ryan Mount clubbed two home runs (5) on Sunday, driving in four. One of Mount's home runs was part of a back-to-back-to-back home run attack started by Andrew Romine (his first of the season), followed by the Travelers leader in home runs Paul McAnulty (12) and then Ryan Mount again for his second of the game. Walden (5.82) faced one batter on Sunday and earned the save, his third of the season.

The Bad: The Travelers ran into three of the better prospects in the minors this weekend facing the Northwest Arkansas club (KC Royals) in Mike Moustakas, Mike Montgomery and Derrick Robinson, losing two out of three, including a 19-4 loss on Saturday. Ryan Braiser gave up eight runs, seven earned, including two home runs in just 3.1 innings of work. Taylor Wilding and Jayson Miller were both shelled, giving up 11 runs between them in just 2.1 innings combined.

Noteworthy: Jeremy Haynes (2.33) was promoted from High-A Rancho Cucamonga to the Arkansas Travelers and promptly picked up where he left off with the Quakes with a scoreless frame on Saturday, striking out two.

The Good: Roberto Lopez (.344) had a great weekend notching at least two hits in all three games (7-15, 1 BB), while clubbing his fifth home run of the season, while driving in four runs. Alexi Amarista (.348) went 4-4 on Sunday with a double and triple, while stealing his 10th base. Tyson Auer went 3-3 on Saturday and 2-3 with a walk on Sunday, stealing two bases on the weekend to bring his total to 21 on the season, trailing Mike Trout by two for the organization lead in that department. Eddie McKiernan saved his sixth game of the season with a scoreless frame on Sunday. Steven Geltz (1.69) had a solid game on Saturday, going three innings without giving up a run with just one hit against, striking out five.

The Bad: Quakes Starting pitcher Ariel Pena posted one of the worst lines you'll see on Saturday, getting just two batters out, while giving up nine runs on six hits and four walks. Reliever Jose Perez didn't help his cause by coming in to give up home runs to Kyle Russell and Travis Denker. Ryan Chaffee was bad again on Friday, giving up five runs on eight hits in five innings of work.

Noteworthy: Roberto Lopez played RF, 1B and C in three games over the weekend. Kyle Hurst (2.70) was promoted from Low-A Cedar Rapids to Rancho Cucamonga this weekend and threw a scoreless inning on Friday. Hurst had a solid .203 BAA and fanned 20 batters in 19 innings when with the Kernels.

The Good: It was a great weekend for the Kernels as they swept the Twins affiliate Low-A Beloit club, with great pitching performances by southpaw Pat Corbin (3.86) on Sunday who moved to 8-0 on the season with six solid innings (6 IP, 1 ER, 6 K) and Garrett Richards (3.54) on Friday who went six innings giving up no earned runs, striking out two and walking none. Jon Hellweg (3.27) pitched two scoreless innings of relief and fanned three. Mike Trout had one hit in each contest, but he walked three times, drove in four runs and stole three bases (23) over the weekend. Jean Segura clubbed a triple and a home run on Sunday, going 3-4 with four RBI's. 3B Luis Jimenez went 6-10 with two walks, two doubles, a home run and four RBI's. Matt Long had six hits over the weekend along with five RBI's and two stolen bases (8). Catcher Jose Jimenez (.235) went 4-5 with an RBI on Friday and 2-3 with a home run and three RBI's on Sunday.

The Bad: Fabio Martinez Mesa struck out five on Saturday, but walked six and gave up five runs, three earned, to raise his ERA to 4.68. If Martinez Mesa can improve his control he's going to be one electric pitcher in the big leagues someday. Carlos Ramirez went 0-5 on Saturday with three strikeouts to lower his batting average to .188.

Noteworthy: Luis Jimenez is tied for the Midwest League lead in doubles with 15. While Jimenez hit his first home run over the weekend his 15 doubles and 4 triples indicate the power is there. Jimenez led the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League with 11 homers in 2007 and added his second straight home run crown by hitting 15 with Orem in his U.S. debut. in 2008. Jimenez also led the Pioneer league in doubles (28) and extra-base hits (49) in '08 before he missed the entire 2009 season with a shoulder injury which required surgery.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

May 23, 2001 The Anaheim Angels lost to the Baltimore Orioles 12-5 at Camden Yards. Troy Glaus would hit a home run, score twice and drive in 3 in the game but Angels starter Scott Schoeneweis was hit hard by Baltimore, giving up 11 runs on 12 hits in 4 innings. The 11 earned runs are the most in a single game by one pitcher on the Angels. Schoeneweis was a 3rd round draft pick by the Angels in 1996 out of Duke and would make his major league debut in 1999. Between the years 1999-2003, Schoeneweis would go 28-31 with a 5.12 ERA used as both a starter and reliever. In 2001 he would be used primarily as a starter and have career highs in wins with 10 and innings pitched with 205.1. During the Angels World Championship year in 2002, Schoeneweis would hold left-handed batters to a .202 average. In the ALDS that year against the New York Yankees he would give up one run in three appearances, in the ALCS against the Minnesota Twins he would give up no runs in 2/3 of an inning pitched and in the World Series against the San Francisco Giants he would not allow a run in two innings pitched. Schoeneweis would later be traded to the Chicago White Sox in July of 2003.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

May 22, 1999 at Tropicana Field in Florida the Anaheim Angels beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 8-6. Tim Unroe and Todd Greene would each drive in 2 runs in the win while Mark Petkovsek picked up the win in relief and Troy Percival would record the save. Angels starter Steve Sparks went 5 innings, giving up 4 runs, walking 6 and hitting 4 batters. Four batters hit in a single game is the most by an Angel pitcher and on June 13 of the same year Omar Olivares would hit 4 batters and it was last done on June 7 2001, by Scott Schoeneweis. Todd Greene was drafted in the 12th round by the Angels during the 1993 draft but never saw much playing time until 1999, when he appeared in 97 games, hitting 14 home runs and driving in 42 runs. The Angels would release Greene in March of 2000.

Friday, May 21, 2010

I was ecstatic to hear that Tim Salmon was collaborating with Rob Goldman to write a book about his career. It would slot perfectly into my 2010 list of books to read and was penciled in for the dark baseball-less days of December when even the hot stove runs cold. A note from our Executive Editor changed my timeline, much to my benefit.

After promptly reacting to a disappointing two game set in Texas against the first place Rangers to start the week, by taking two one run games from the Chicago White Sox, the Halos now set out to begin interleague play with a three game series in St. Louis against the Cardinals.

As cities, Anaheim and St. Louis share a close bond. The “gateway to the west” is where we send our football teams to die, and our baseball players to win championships.

The St. Louis Cardinals have an impressive history. They’ve won more World Series championships than any franchise not named the New York Yankees. They’ve also fielded one of the ugliest human beings ever to pick up a baseball bat.

Born November 2nd, 1958, Willie Dean McGee began two journeys. He began a life of athletic prowess, which would one day lead to a career in the major leagues. Also on that autumn day, Willie began on a path to a level of physical unsightliness few have witnessed before.

There have been other big leaguers, who have, at one point or another, been mistaken for a character from a Tim Burton movie. The only way one could distinguish Otis Nixon from a rotting corpse was by counting the flies circling overhead.

Willie McGee can’t un-strike his face with a 2x4.

A blind child once touched Julian Tavarez’s face. It was the first time he read Moby Dick.

Kevin Youkilis always looks like he just put out a forest fire…by himself.

These men, while repulsive, lack the “it” factor of a Willie McGee. At the end of the day, Otis Nixon’s face is aerodynamic, Tavarez can wear make-up and Youkilis can throw on a wig, shave his face and towel off.

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